"Big Windy" soldiers blow back home

KATTERBACH, GERMANY - Moments before the large blue doors of aircraft hangar number four open, Chelsea Huesing, whose husband is about to return from a deployment spanning almost a year, anxiously cannot sit still in her chair. She asks, "Are they out there?"

Soldiers and family members scream and yell as the hangar doors open and the last ten deployed Soldiers from Bravo Company, 5-158th General Support Aviation Battalion march into the hangar at Katterbach Army Airfield, January 23, 2014. The commander of the formation reports to Lt. Col. Michael S. McFadden, the battalion commander signifying the end of a 268-day deployment for the Soldiers.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Soldiers are released and they are able to reunite with their families. Huesing is elated as she finally gets to hug her husband, something she has been waiting to do for so long.

The Huesing family is looking forward to making up for all the time they were apart by going out and enjoying everything Europe has to offer.

"When you get back here, you can go anywhere you want," said Sgt. Christopher A. Huesing, a crew chief for a Chinook (CH-47) helicopter from Bravo Company, and husband of Chelsea Huesing. "When you drive down range, you're going to do work basically. You're not doing it for something you want to go do."

During the deployment, the Soldiers from the aviation support company participated in direct support missions, air assault and general assault operations the Ghorak District, Maiwand, Helmand River Valley, Sangin River Valley. The company also helped close forward operating bases Bastion, Apache, Spin Buldak, Pasab, Terin Kowt, Shindand, Frontenac, Mescal, and Walton.

The unit flew over 235 missions, accumulating over 1,350 combat flight hours, according to information provided by Cpt. Kyle W. Miner, the rear-detachment commander of the company. Also, the company provided two real-world medical evacuations ensuring that medical personnel are able to treat soldiers as quickly and safely as possible.

Towards the end of November, 2014 and into December, Bravo Company soldiers began returning home from the deployment with the exception of the ten returning today. Soldiers were particularly selected to remain on the deployment as a requirement by Train Advise and Assist Command -- South (TAAC- South) to leave two aircrews behind to continue aviation support operations.

On order, Bravo Company, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment deploys to designated combat zones and contingency areas, conducts versatile aviation combat support and combat service support operations as part of a designated higher headquarters.

The statistics used in this article were gathered at the conclusion of the main body's deployment and do not include the missions by the ten soldiers that remained deployed.